Lasandra pulled herself together first, reaching out a hand to place on her daughter"s shoulder. This seemed to calm Caty, who I remembered Brace had said had been very protected and spoiled. She was more delicate than her mother. I could see that straight away. I supposed any mate of a princeps especially Que would be an expert at handling crazy situations.
Lasandra and Caty moved to stand on either side of me. They reached out and clasped each of my hands.
"Okay, start drawing the energy into yourself again. Open your mind to us, and we will siphon it off and ground it down into the earth we stand on."
Sounded simple enough.
"Alright, here I go."
I threw out the tether again and the warm, intoxicating power flooded through me. Sometimes I felt like a G.o.d when this happened. A reality check was often required. Thankfully I generally had Lucy and her blunt mouth around. This time as I started to feel the overload it dissipated. I realized that there was a slight sucking sensation flowing from my hands. Like last time, the stones started to flicker out one by one. And they continued on more and more. We moved past the halfway point and there was no stopping us now.
I wondered if maybe the half-Walkers and I should be practicing something like this. Not grounding the energy so much, but more me absorbing large bodies of power and seeing if the girls could take the excess into themselves. Spreading it around so I had extra to use against our enemies. And were there any stones, like these purple ones, where we could store additional energy for the final battle?
All important things to know before we faced the Seventine.
Finally, we were almost done. There were three stones left. As they flickered out, I felt the exhaustion in my limbs. I wasn"t sure how long we"d been standing there, but I would guess a very long time. And then finally the last stone gave a final flicker and its light died. Lasandra and Caty took that remaining sliver of energy and dispelled it down into whatever it was that we stood on. The world of Nephilius, I think.
And then with a rumble, everything around us began to shake. The three of us cried out and tightened our grip on each other"s hands. Was the cage part of the foundation of this world and now Utopia was falling apart? We huddled together, helping to balance each other.
"Something is happening," Caty cried.
In that moment a shock of adrenalin, followed by a flash of realization, flooded through me.
And I woke up.
Chapter 14.
I was no longer in Utopia. My surroundings were dark, except for some beams of what looked like moonstale.
I was flat on my back, laid out on a smooth but freezing cold surface. It felt like metal. My eyelids blinked rapidly as I tried to clear the black dots that were plaguing my vision. As I attempted to sit up, I realized I couldn"t move my body. What the h.e.l.l was going on? I could wiggle my fingers and toes. This action released a flood of tingles from the iciness that must have seeped into my numb limbs. Twisting my hands side to side, I felt the chafing burn of restraints on my wrist. What the eff? I was tied down. I bit back my panic, claustrophobia clawing at my insides as I controlled my breathing.
In. Out. In. Out.
I concentrated on that simple action. And eventually I calmed.
I cleared my throat, preparing to scream out, but at the last minute I hesitated. Maybe I shouldn"t tip my hand yet. I wasn"t exactly in a position to fight back, and more than likely the only ones to come running would be the bad guys. Instead I closed my eyes and mentally reached for my energy. But I was pretty much depleted, as if I"d been drained to the point of running on wisps.
This was so not good. Had that happened in the Utopia world? Or had I been in this room the entire time?
Pus.h.i.+ng past my empty energy, I searched for my golden cord. If I connected with the girls, they might be able to help me. Thankfully it was still there, a little frail looking, but workable. I sent it out to the half-Walkers and almost immediately their essences filtered into my empty well.
Why did you cut the tethering earlier? Fury screeched at me. The image you sent me didn"t work. I tried to trace to you, and Brace tried a doorway, and neither sent us anywhere.
I groaned as her shrill tone echoed around my mind. It was because the Utopian world was either protected by energy or ... not real at all. I cut her off. I needed to explain what had happened before I was interrupted again. Or it was an illusion or something. I"m tied down in a dark room. I can only see a bit of filtered light above my head, and there"s a cold table under my body. I was b.l.o.o.d.y freezing my b.u.t.t off, literally.
How are we going to find you, Abbs? Talina sent warmth toward me. Could she feel this icy cold deep inside me?
I had no idea how they were going to find me. There were no real images to send them. Everything was too dark and hazy for me to know where I was.
Bring us to you. Ria"s calm washed through me. You"re connected to us; we can all trace. I"ve been thinking about how we should grow our powers. I believe there has to be a way that you can trace us to where you are.
Ria had a very logical mind. She seemed to process all information and continue to work it over until she"d exhausted every scenario. And what she said made sense. But right then I was struggling to find energy. My only hope was to borrow the other girls" energy.
I"m going to try and bring you here, but I"ll need some of your energy. I"m fully drained.
Take what you need. Ria spoke for them all.
I started out slowly, sucking as much as I could without severing the ties. My center started to fill and there was so much more power than the last time I"d done this. It was amazing how much one more half-Walker added to our power; it increased tenfold.
Okay, hold on. I"m going to try and yank all of the cords to me.
In my head the cords looked like a single rope that split off four ways further down the line. Each of these four ropes connected me to my friends. With a deep breath I grasped a hold of the main rope and yanked with all of my mental strength. But as always the cords just stretched. They were malleable, and they did not s.h.i.+ft the girls at all.
I don"t know how to do it. I groaned as weariness pressed on me, forcing my eyes shut as sleep started to claim me. I wrenched my wrists against my restraints, the pain helping to keep me awake. Why was I already feeling depleted? It was as if I couldn"t keep any energy inside, even when I was siphoning it off the girls.
Don"t pull the cord, just move us, Ria said.
I wasn"t sure exactly what she meant, but again there was hazy darkness closing in on the sides of my brain. I was about to pa.s.s out again. This was my last chance. I sucked down their energy again, and then instead of grabbing the cord I used my borrowed power to attach to the girls. Closing my eyes, I sucked in a deep breath before expending every bit of strength inside me to bring them to my location.
This exertion allowed the darkness to claim me and I lost a few moments of time before I could open my eyes again. As consciousness returned I realized I was alone in my head; the girls were gone. With a m.u.f.fled cry, I wanted to smash my head back to the table I was on. It hadn"t worked.
"Hang tight, Supes, we"ll get you out of here."
In unison, understanding and excitement flooded me. I flicked my head to the side and almost cried as familiar ma.s.ses of white hair came into view.
"Fury." My voice rasped over the word and a few tears did p.r.i.c.k my eyes. I wasn"t alone.
"Yep, you did it," she said, flas.h.i.+ng her white teeth. "You brought me, Talli, Ria ..." She flicked her head before leaning closer to my ear. "And let"s not forget tall, dark and stick-up-her-a.s.s."
My lips turned up in the corners.
"Didn"t I say something similar about you when we first met?" My low husky laugh was pretty rough. I needed to clear my throat.
Fury didn"t miss a beat. "My att.i.tude was cute, unlike Delane"s, which is annoying."
I didn"t remember her att.i.tude being cute at all. Fury turned her head away from me then. I heard murmurs as she started speaking to someone.
"Trace back and bring everyone here," she finally said, before turning back to me.
I struggled with my bound hands again. My old claustrophobia fears were still beating at me. I needed to get free soon or I"d freak out again.
Fury fumbled with my hands. And I felt someone else at my other side. Flipping my head over, I locked eyes with Talina.
"Talli." I smiled at my friend. She laid a gentle hand on my forehead, some of her calm diverting the panicked thoughts I was having.
"I can"t unlock them, Abbs. It"s some type of energy bracelet. I think they"re what"s draining you." Strands of her emerald hair draped over me, which was strangely soothing also.
"s.h.i.+t, we need to get them off her before she"s drained dry." Fury"s cursing drew my attention again.
"Are there others in the room with me?" I asked. Were Brace"s family there? Had they really been in Utopia?
"There"re a lot of Angelica and Walkers in here." Another voice, this time Delane. I couldn"t see her, only hear the words as she continued. "Well, I a.s.sume the others are Walkers. Their marks are on display."
Her voice seemed to open my eyes to the fact that Talina and Fury wore their marks; I hadn"t noticed in my disorientated state. I took a moment to wonder what clan Delane was from. There were three options: Kaos, Gai or Laos.
Then her face appeared over me, short black hair framing exotic features, and across her left side bright yellow bursts of light. Golden sunbeams. Laos with Tatiana as her princeps. I didn"t know Delane very well, but I thought she"d like being in the clan with the only female princeps. I studied her closely.
The Laos marks were different to the others. The beams covered so much more of the left side of her face, seeming to burst from her nose outwards. I"d always thought they were really interesting marks. They seemed to send warm feelings through me whenever I saw them. And right then I could use extra warmth.
Delane stayed above me while I listened to the mutter and curses as the girls tried to break the bonds. I was too weary to even turn my head and see what they were doing. So much for the big, bad conduit. Right then I was pretty much useless.
Wait, had Fury said something about Brace coming here?
"You need to get rid of the moonstale," I said, my words sounding slurred.
Fury and Talina stopped what they were doing and appeared above me again.
Fury spoke first, and like a great friend didn"t ask me why. "They have the stones placed around the perimeter. We"ll move them away."
"Be right back, Abbs." Talina brushed my hair away and was also gone. Delane must have followed her.
I was alone then, the quiet echoing around and through me. I closed my eyes, almost too tired to keep them open.
"All done, Abbs, but I still can"t break your chains." Fury"s voice had my eyes fluttering open. I was relieved to see her face was clear of marks now. No gray swirling through her red skin. "But your dad and Brace are here. They will surely know what to do."
"Baby girl." Josian"s booming voice had me s.h.i.+fting my eyes to the right.
I got a face full of red hair as he leaned over and kissed my cheek. His eyes were swirling in colors of bronze and gold. He looked fierce, his eyebrows bunched together and his lips pursed.
I felt Brace then, his warmth, his aura, his own powerful energy. It wrapped around me and some of the empty coldness inside me eased. My eyes locked onto his face as it appeared above me, and right then, if I"d had the energy to flinch, I would have. I"d seen Brace angry before G.o.d I used to p.i.s.s him off all the time but right then he was so furious the air crackled around him. His features could have been carved from stone and, while his eyes were black, they flashed all kinds of h.e.l.l for anyone who got in his way.
He cupped my face in his hands and desperation bled into those rigid features.
"First pixie land and now Nephilius. You should just kill me, the long-term torture is far worse." He dropped his forehead to rest against mine. "I will get you out of here."
"I"m going to need your help." Josian interrupted us.
Brace lifted his head, his fists still clenched as he struggled with his emotions.
To dial down the visible flow of energy between Brace and me, I forced my eyelids closed. I had to stop what we were doing; piece by piece I was building ties between us again, and if they became any stronger we wouldn"t be able to stop the re-melding. And if that happened I"d never have the strength to break our bond again. Now that I"d felt the pain and emptiness of losing Brace, everything in me would fight against ever feeling that way again. Besides, something told me that the lalunas wouldn"t help me a second time.
To distract my thoughts I wondered where Lucy was. I couldn"t believe they"d stopped her from coming. Colton must have her tied down. A mental image formed of her pixie b.u.t.t trying to blind him with dust while she escaped. I"d have laughed if I"d had the strength. I was jolted from my weird daydream by a warmth surrounding my left hand. It almost felt burning hot compared to the icy cold wracking my body. Brace had laced his fingers with mine. I couldn"t stop myself from opening my eyes again.
His face softened as our gazes met, and when the grip on my hand tightened, I prepared myself, knowing they were about to free me. Generally whenever something like that happened it always involved pain. But oddly enough, there was just a simple clicking sound and my limbs were free.
Josian and Brace helped me to a sitting position, allowing me to see my prison for the first time. I bit back an angry curse.
The area was large, styled in the manner of an underground bunker with no windows or doors. The only light was still from the moonstale stones, which must have been shoved into a far corner by the girls. I was on a metal bench, almost like the ones from old school hospitals on Earth, which the dead had rested on in morgues. Thankfully, though, I was clothed.
There were two dozen of these metal beds surrounding us, and each of them was occupied. The Angelica had their wings tucked up under them. Others looked to be Walkers.
"What happened after you fell?" Brace captured my chin in his free hand, the other still laced with mine.
"I think I fell to a land beneath the clouds." I shook back my hair. Somehow my long curls were free. "It was a Utopian world, beautiful, exactly how I imagined paradise. I couldn"t remember anything about who I was, and for some strange reason that didn"t bother me."
I paused, wondering if I should tell him about his family. Were they really there? Or was it some sort of hallucination? Either way I had to say something.
"Brace, your mother and sister were in my Utopia."
Our faces were really close now he only had to move an inch and our lips would touch so I saw every facet of pain and hope that flashed across his features. His eyes were wide, his jaw rigid, and I knew he was about to either cry or start smas.h.i.+ng things.
"I"m hoping it was real. You have to check if they"re here," I whispered to him. "They were beautiful. Caty has dark hair like yours, and Lasandra"s was like sunlight blond."
"s.h.i.+t." He cursed low under his breath. His eyes started to flick away from me and dart around the room. I knew he didn"t want to leave me, so I gave him a little shove.
"Go. I"ll be right here."
His lips landed awfully close to mine as he grazed my cheek. And then he was gone. So fast I couldn"t even track him around the darkened room.
"I"m confused," I said to Josian, my heavy head dropping into my hands. Without Brace"s hand around me the cold was seeping back into my body. "Was Utopia really there? Did I actually fall below the clouds?"
He crossed his arms, brows rising as he took in the room. Low rumbles shook his chest. "This dwelling is below the clouds in Nephilius." His arms spread out to circle the warehouse area. "The Utopian part was most probably in your mind to keep you happy and sedated." Using his index finger he bopped me gently on the nose. "They didn"t take into account one very special half-Walker. Destroying the cage destroyed the energy holding you all here." He hugged me roughly, his muscled arms tightening around me. "I"m so glad you"re okay."
I patted his back, and eventually his heart rate slowed again. When he pulled back his gaze rested on my face. As soon as his warm arms left me I was cold again. I wondered if I"d ever feel warm. My eyes darted around the room, searching for Brace, but he wasn"t close by.
"I can"t believe how many of these energy setups the Seventine have," I said, turning back to Josian. "There are years of planning in every single one of them. How is their reach so far?"
Josian rubbed his face as he stared around. "I wouldn"t be surprised to discover after the dark mountains, Earth and now this on Nephilius that there is some type of energy-gathering setup on each of the worlds. I always wondered how the Seventine planned on getting the ma.s.sive amounts of energy required to free them."
Looked like we had our answers.
"We need to investigate this." Fury stepped closer. Dune was right behind her, as always. "We"ll search Crais."
It wasn"t a bad plan. If we could cut off some of their energy, we might have a shot at beating them to the final battle. If I had all seven girls before they were freed, well, that could only increase our chances of re-imprisoning them.
"Look for a zone of gathered energy. It"ll be large and feel unnatural. For Fury it might seem like a beacon drawing her closer," Josian said.
"And when you find it, do not do anything without me." I lowered my voice.
Fury stared at me for a few moments, before the slightest grin turned up the corners of her mouth. "I"m glad you"re safe, Supes, I"d have missed your bossy orders."